What is Strongbox?
Strongbox keeps passwords in a KeePass or Password Safe database — an ordinary encrypted file you own, rather than a vault held on a vendor's servers. That file can sit on the Mac, in iCloud or any cloud drive, or on your own server reached over WebDAV or SFTP, and the same file opens in any KeePass-compatible client on any platform. Around that it adds the Apple-specific conveniences people expect: Face ID and Touch ID unlock, AutoFill in Safari and other browsers, an Apple Watch app, and an SSH agent that stores keys in the database. The app is free with a paid Strongbox Pro tier. It suits anyone who wants password-manager polish without giving up control of the file.
Verified product facts
- Type
- password managerEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- YesDerived
- Pricing
- FreemiumDeveloper-stated
- Open source
- Yes
- Developer
- ApplauseDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- AGPL-3.0
- Current version
- 1.65.2Developer-stated
- Official website
- strongboxsafe.com/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Strongbox does at a glance.
KeePass and Password Safe databases
So the file opens in any compatible client on any platform
Store the database
On the Mac, in iCloud or a cloud drive, or on your own server over WebDAV or SFTP
Face ID and Touch ID unlock
On iPhone, iPad and Mac
AutoFill
In Safari, Chrome, Firefox and other browsers
YubiKey hardware-token support
With physical and virtual backup keys
Password auditing
For duplicate, weak, common and short passwords
An algorithm
Finds passwords similar to one another
Data breach notifications powered
By Have I Been Pwned
TOTP one-time codes and secure notes
Stored alongside the entries
Markdown formatting for notes
SSH key generation and storage
On Mac, with an SSH agent and Git commit signing
Apple Watch companion app, and Apple Watch unlock on macOS
Wi-Fi Sync
Between devices without a cloud drive or a server
Automated backups
Can be restored
PIN-code unlock and a duress PIN on iOS
Compare & merge to resolve sync conflicts automatically
Microsoft SharePoint integration
For hosting and sharing a database
What you can use Strongbox for
- Keeping a KeePass database you already have but syncing it through iCloud or your own server
- Unlocking a password store with Face ID instead of typing a master password
- Using one password store across a Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
- Auditing an existing vault for duplicate, weak or breached passwords
Who is Strongbox for?
- People who want a KeePass-format database they control rather than a vault hosted by a vendor
- Apple users who want one password store across Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
Who is Strongbox not for?
- Anyone who wants a hosted password manager with nothing to configure and no file to look after
- Teams that need shared vaults with role-based administration, which Strongbox does not provide
Limitations
- The price of Strongbox Pro is not published on the vendor's site; it is an in-app purchase that varies by App Store region
- The minimum macOS version for the current release is not stated on the App Store listing Nuanyue checked; the older Mac-only listing required macOS 12
- Many of the features the vendor advertises are Pro-only, so the free tier is narrower than the feature list suggests
- The source is published under AGPL-3.0, but the App Store build is not something a user can rebuild and install themselves
- Ownership changed in March 2025, when the founder entrusted the product to a different development team
Strengths and trade-offs
What Strongbox does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Databases are in the KeePass and Password Safe formats, so the same file opens in any compatible client on any platform.Developer-stated
- The database can be stored locally, in a cloud drive, or on your own server reached over WebDAV or SFTP.Developer-stated
- Unlocks with Face ID or Touch ID on iPhone, iPad and Mac.Developer-stated
- AutoFills credentials in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and other browsers.Developer-stated
- Supports YubiKey hardware tokens, including physical and virtual backup keys.Developer-stated
- Audits the database for duplicate, weak, common and short passwords, and for passwords similar to one another.Developer-stated
- Reports when a stored password has appeared in a known data breach, using Have I Been Pwned.Developer-stated
- Publishes its source under AGPL-3.0, so the implementation can be inspected.
- Distributed as a current App Store release, version 1.65.2, from the vendor Phoebe Code Limited.
Trade-offs
- Most of the features the vendor advertises — biometric unlock, AutoFill, the Apple Watch app, the SSH agent, WebDAV and SFTP sync, and YubiKey support — are listed as Pro features rather than being included in the free tier.Developer-stated
- The price is not published on the vendor's site, so you have to open the App Store to find out what Pro costs.Derived
- It is a personal or family database rather than a team password manager with shared vaults and administration.Derived
- The product changed hands in March 2025, when the founder handed it to Applause; the roadmap published at that time covered only the following 18 months.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Distributed through the App Store as a universal iPhone, iPad and Mac app; the vendor's download page offers the store listing rather than a direct installer.
- First launch Developer-stated
- You point Strongbox at a KeePass or Password Safe database — an existing file or a new one — and unlock it with a master password. Face ID and Touch ID unlock and AutoFill are Pro features.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Provides a browser AutoFill extension, an SSH agent on the Mac that can sign Git commits, and a companion Apple Watch app.
- Apple Silicon Derived
- Supported
What it does
Strongbox is a client for a database format rather than for a service. The database is a KeePass file — the same kind any KeePass-compatible app can open — and where that file lives is your decision: on the Mac, in iCloud or another cloud drive, or on a server you run yourself, reached over WebDAV or SFTP. The vendor describes this as “zero lock-in”, and the practical consequence is that leaving Strongbox means taking the file with you rather than exporting from a service.
Everything else is Apple-platform polish on top of that file. Face ID and Touch ID unlock the database instead of a typed master password; AutoFill fills credentials in Safari, Chrome and Firefox; an Apple Watch app carries logins, secure notes and one-time codes; and on the Mac an SSH agent generates and stores keys inside the database, notifying you when a process tries to use one.
Security features
The database is protected with AES-256 and a configurable key-derivation function, and Strongbox supports YubiKey hardware tokens with physical and virtual backup keys. Beyond unlocking, it audits what is inside: duplicate, weak, common and short passwords are flagged, an algorithm looks for passwords that are merely similar to one another, and Have I Been Pwned notifications tell you when a stored credential turns up in a breach. On iOS there is a duress PIN that can open a decoy database, spoof an error, or erase local data.
Ownership and licensing
Strongbox was built by Mark McGuill and ran as an independent product for years. In March 2025 he handed it to Applause, an independent app studio based in New York, staying on in an advisory role. Applause’s announcement was explicit that KeePass compatibility, local storage and self-hosted sync would not change, and that existing users’ data stays where it is with no migration required. The source is published under AGPL-3.0.
The app is free with a paid tier. Most of what the vendor advertises — biometric unlock, AutoFill, the Apple Watch app, the SSH agent, WebDAV and SFTP sync, YubiKey support, breach notifications and compare & merge — is listed as a Strongbox Pro feature. The Pro page states one licence for all your devices, Family Sharing with up to 6 people and “cancel anytime”, but does not publish a price, because it varies by App Store region.
Questions about Strongbox
Is Strongbox free?
There is a free tier and a paid upgrade called Strongbox Pro, sold as an in-app purchase. The vendor's Pro page lists one licence for all your devices, Family Sharing with up to 6 people and 'cancel anytime', but does not publish a price, because it varies by App Store region.
Does Strongbox work with KeePass?
Yes. Strongbox is built around the KeePass database format and also supports Password Safe. The vendor's stated position is 'zero lock-in': the database is a file you store wherever you like, and it opens in any KeePass-compatible client on any platform.Developer-stated
Where can the Strongbox database be stored?
Anywhere you like. It can live on the device, in iCloud or another cloud drive, or on your own server reached over WebDAV or SFTP. Strongbox also offers Wi-Fi Sync, which moves the database between devices without a cloud drive or a server at all.Developer-stated
Is Strongbox open source?
The source is published on GitHub under the AGPL-3.0 licence, so the implementation can be inspected. That is not the same as being able to build and install the App Store version yourself, which the licence does not give you.
Who makes Strongbox now?
Strongbox was created by Mark McGuill, who ran it independently for years. In March 2025 it was handed to Applause, an independent app studio in New York, with the founder staying on in an advisory capacity. Applause stated that KeePass compatibility, local storage and self-hosted sync options would not change.
Alternatives to Strongbox
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
KeePassXC
Offline, GPL-licensed password manager with a local encrypted database.
Both open a KeePass database and can read the same file, but KeePassXC is a free desktop application for macOS, Windows and Linux while Strongbox is an Apple-only app with a paid Pro tier.
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
1Password
Encrypted password and passkey vault with autofill and breach monitoring.
Both are polished Apple-first password managers, but 1Password hosts your vault in its own cloud on a subscription, while Strongbox keeps the database in a KeePass file you place wherever you choose.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
MacPass
Open-source KeePass Mac OS client.
Both are macOS KeePass clients, but MacPass is a free community project aimed squarely at the desktop, while Strongbox spans iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac with a paid tier.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- Strongbox on the Mac App StoreGrade A
- Strongbox — official websiteGrade B
- Applause — developer websiteGrade B
- Strongbox — documentationGrade C
- Strongbox — source repositoryGrade D
